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Mexican state of Jalisco approves law proposed by Animal Equality to criminalize cruelty to animals

After a historic vote by the Mexican state of Jalisco’s Congress, cruelty against farmed animals in the state is now a crime. This is the first time that the protection and welfare of animals killed for food have been considered by Mexican legislation.
April 9, 2019 Updated: February 22, 2024
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After a historic vote by the Mexican state of Jalisco’s Congress, cruelty against farmed animals in the state is now a crime. This is the first time that the protection and welfare of animals killed for food have been considered by Mexican legislation.

This is great progress for animals in factory farms and who have never been protected by the law in Jalisco. The success of the campaign Jalisco Without Cruelty will now offer protections to more than 200 million animals each year in that state.

Dulce Ramírez
Vice President of Animal Equality for Latin America

During last week´s plenary session of the Jalisco Congress, an overwhelming majority of lawmakers approved Jalisco Without Cruelty, a historic initiative making cruelty to farmed animals a crime punishable by up to 4 years in prison and preventing those found guilty from working with farmed animals for up to 3 years. In the case of a repeated crime, it also bars abusers from working with animals again.

The initiative, initially presented by Deputy Salvador Caro Cabrera, was created in response to the findings of Animal Equality’s investigation into Jalisco’s slaughterhouses and a year of campaigning in the state.

Piglet in a factory farm

SAVE ANIMALS FROM ABUSE

Pigs, cows, and other animals feel pain and deserve to be protected from abuse.

You can protect these intelligent animals by simply choosing plant‑based alternatives.

The law requires slaughterhouses to comply with federal regulations to prevent animals from enduring acts of cruelty—including but not limited to their mutilation, negligence from veterinarians, and the abandonment of animals on farms—. This reform also mandates that all animals must be stunned and rendered unconscious before they are killed. This measure directly affects over 200 million animals in the state of Jalisco and prevents the common occurrence of animals killed while they are conscious and in pain.

Our undercover investigators also observed the presence of minors at slaughterhouses and witnessed them abusing and killing animals. Because of this, a paragraph was included within the initiative that ensures that if a minor is directed to commit animal abuse or that animal abuse is committed in the presence of a minor, the penalty, including its aggravating factors, will be applied to the adults involved in those crimes.

Protect animals by supporting initiatives like Jalisco Without Cruelty.


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